WAR PENSIONS APPEAL BOARD

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 302, 15 September 1921, Page 5

WAR PENSIONS APPEAL BOARD

CRITICISED BY THE U.S.A.

“MEDICAL BOARD ONLY’’

Unfavourable opinions.of the Wai - Pensions Appeal Board were expressed by speakers at the U.S.A, general meeting last night The president (Mr. W. Perry) said that what was Wanted was an appeal board that would deal with appeals on general grounds. There was no such board at present. Tlw secretary (Mr. R. J. F. Aldrich) quoted a resolution previously passed whichi noted with disapproval that the Appeal Board was a medical appeal board only, and did not give the soldier or the dependant a right of appeal on general grounds from the decision of the 'War Pensions Board. It would be in-

teresting, Mr. Aldrich said, to know the ' number of cases in which supplementary pensions had been granted to a dependent. If the War Pensions Board decided that a supplementary pension should not be granted there was no redress whatever. It had been hoped when, the Returned Soldiers' Association advocated the establishment of the Appeal Board that there would bp some redress in these matters, and that the circumstances of the applicant might be placed before the board. The Appeal Board, however, was, purely a medical one, and he made bold to say that its operations had proved an absolute farce. Its record showed that in 198 cases there were 147 dismissals, 15 withdrawals, ano —actually—ll reduction';. Pfobablv the withdrawals were due to the appellants

"getting the wind up” oyer the possibility of having th® pensions they were drawing taken away. Mr. M. W. Cummins proposed a motion protesting against the treatment meted out to disabled soldiers, by the Pensions Appeal Board; expressing the opinion that the board should be one to hear and determine appeals "on general grounds”; and urging that th© hoard should give more sympathetic consideration to disabled men. Mr. D. S. Smith said that he was in favour of pressing for a general appeal board, and more sympathetic consideration. He did not think, however, that the meeting could pass judgment on the medical men’s decisions on purely medical questions. The motion was carried.